Federal File

Goodbye, pony express?

When it comes to education, one former U.S. secretary envisions a
system where teachers are paid up to $100,000 a year based on
performance, the federal government hands its reins to states, and
students attend any school they choose.

Lamar Alexander recently told the House Education Oversight and
Investigations Subcommittee that he would like to "recharter and
replace every public school" in the next 15 years and eliminate the
federal role. In his words, replace the pony express with the telegraph
system.

Mr. Alexander, in seeking the Republican nomination for president
last year, revived what he called his GI Bill for Kids that he pushed
as President Bush's education secretary. That plan featured a school
voucher proposal.

Mr. Alexander now says he looks to the nation's higher education
system for inspiration on how to reform the public schools. He wants
elementary and secondary schools to compete for students in the same
way that colleges and universities do.

"We should take all the money we spend on elementary and secondary
education and let parents choose a school for their children," he told
the panel at its hearing.

Mr. Alexander's biggest proposal is a "GI Scholarship" plan to allow
middle and low-income students to attend any school they choose. The
federal, state, and local allocation would follow a child to his chosen
school, and public schools would take on a new meaning.

Mr. Alexander peppered his remarks with plenty of criticism for
President Clinton's initiatives, saying the president is in the right
church on the issue but in the wrong pew when it comes to programs.

Not surprisingly, his comments did not sit well with House
Democrats, who at times vastly outnumbered the two Republicans in
attendance.

Without a dominant leader, it's "a very interesting time to be a
Republican," Mr. Alexander told reporters after the hearing. Moreover,
he wants the party to shape up its message when it comes to education.
"We've gone from saying we're against everything to mindlessly saying
we're for it," he said.

But he stopped short of saying he'll again don his red-flannel shirt
and hit the campaign trail.